A Ransom In Blood
by Child Of Old
Summary: Inspired by the Pirates Of The Caribbean film 1 this is about a confident young lady who found herself on a ship with three rather handsome men, and one rather annoying one. Jack and Elizabeth, only in my interpretation. Please Read!
1. In The Middle

_Chapter One: In The Middle_

The swords sparked like fire as they clashed together, drawing against each other like they were permanently welded. I gritted my teeth and shoved back, releasing my sword and making me stumble back a few steps.

The man leered at me, his black teeth barely visible in the rapidly disappearing light.

"They told me you could fight." He taunted.

I swung my sword at him, catching him at unawares and making him spin back a few steps. I pointed the sword at him, breathing heavily.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" I demanded before jumping back with a squeal as he came back at me with a bellow of outrage.

We twisted and turned, the horrible sound of metal on metal making my ears bleed as the loud bangs and shouts could be heard everywhere from outside.

"Why are you playing with me?" I ducked as his sword almost encountered my neck.

He brought it down beside me and I brought my sword up, forcing him backwards as I raised from my squat.

"What do you mean?" He gritted out, perspiration beading on his brow.

"I mean why are you playing this game?" I asked, forcing him back another inch. "You're a pirate! Why don't you just shoot me and be done with it? Or better yet, maroon me on a desert Island!"

"Maroon a woman on a desert Island?" His eyes looked across our crossed blades at me, wide with confusion. I took my chance and forced him back another step.

"Yes, maroon me!" I frowned and thought about it, thinking perhaps it wouldn't be the best idea in the world. "Alright, what about a gun? A musket?" I prompted when he just looked at me blankly.

He nodded his head and ginned again. A horrible smell wafted towards me and I cringed, my force stopping for a second so I could take I small step back. I wasn't sure whether the smell was coming from his wide, gaping mouth, through the rotten teeth, or just his body and the unclean, dirty clothes.

"Oh, sweet'eart." He grinned and the sword lashed out. I tripped and let out a little scream. Suddenly, I found myself on my knees, facing away from him and towards the door, with his sword up against my neck. I trembled as he lent closer into me. "Where would be the fun in that?"

I felt his muscles tense and coil, the blade almost tighten as it prepared to slice my neck open. I tried to keep my eyes wide open, free from tears, staring straight at the door. This was it. I was going to die in a strange land, a place I knew nothing about with nobody I knew nor cared about.

I wasn't going to cry though. Crying was for the weak. Crying was for the people who were scared.

And I was beyond scared.

I felt the sword move, just an inch, on my neck, not cutting anything, when the door suddenly banged open. A man appeared in the door way, dressed in baggy trousers and a loose cotton shirt, a bandanna around his head. He held a sharp silver sword in one hand. A gun (_Sorry,_ musket, _I mentally corrected_) was tucked into the waist band of his trousers.

"Sorry to barge in like this." He said, not sounding particularly sorry at all.

He strolled right into the cabin, the sword barely dangling from his finger tips. He looked and sounded careless, but I watched as his eyes stayed pinned and trained on the man behind me, and me.

The man's hold on the sword loosened. I could now safely breathe without fear of the sword cutting into me.

"James Shandy?" The man behind me whispered.

The younger man stopped in front of me and he did a mock-bow.

"The very same." He mocked, straightening up. He then cast his eyes pointedly to me. "And I'm afraid, I'm going to have to ask you to stop doing that. She's my property now." He paused and did a bit of a shake of his hand, as if re-deciding something. "_Well,_ our property." He repeated the movement. "_Well,_ his property." He seemed to focus back on the task in hand and looked directly at the man behind me. "The point is, I need you to hand her over to me. Alive. And, if it's possible, unharmed."  
The man behind me's grip on me tightened and I was hauled back as he started to back track. I yelped as I was dragged back along the floor boards.

"I'm going to get splinters!" I yelled, knowing it wasn't the most important thing but fear, I thought, had made me go mad.

James pointed at me.

"_That_ would qualify as harming, I'm afraid." He told the man, seeming almost regretful. "Now, could you just hand her over?"  
The smelly man behind me had now hit the wall of the cabin he had no where else to go. I found the sword suddenly digging right into my neck again. If I could've sighed, I would've.

"Why should I do anything for you?" He demanded in a snarling voice, though I heard the tremor in his voice. "We've taken over this ship!"

James pulled that regretful face again.

"And we've taken over the ship _again_. All the original crew are dead. Just us and you now."

I choked up.

"_All _of them?" I couldn't resist asking. I felt the blade cut into my throat. A tiny trickle of blood oozed out of it.

James spared me a glance and his face turned uncaring and unfriendly.

"Yes."

He looked back at the man behind me.

The man shook.

"Why do you need her so much?" He asked, before seeming to shake himself. "It doesn't matter anyway. If you need her that badly, I've got leverage, don't I?"

James shrugged.

"I suppose." He then pointed the sword directly at us. "But then I'd have to fight you."

The light suddenly vanished from the room. We all looked towards the doorway, where a similar man had appeared. Actually, upon closer inspection he was taller and a bit leaner but apart from that, his silhouette looked exactly like James.

"Don't take all the fun, James." A very male voice said, laced with amusement.

James tossed his sword absently to the other hand and turned towards the figure.

"No fun here to be had. He was just about to hand her over."

The man behind me growled.

"No, I _wasn't_!" He hissed.

"Really?" The man in the doorway stepped out, and I realized he didn't look like James at all. Where as James had light brown tousles, this man's hair was jet black and stuck out all over the place, handsome yet clearly uncared for. His eyes were dark and sparkling with amusement and excitement, but an undercurrent of danger and steel lined them. He wore almost the same things as James, except he had two muskets and his sword was less well-cared for.

He looked dangerously on at the man.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.

All males in the room seemed completely oblivious to my presence. I could've been a melon and they would've taken more notice of me. I sighed and the sword cut into my throat again. I bit my lip to keep back a groan of pain as the blood dripped slowly down my neck and onto my chest.

Suddenly, this new mans eyes snapped to me and the blood. His eyes darkened even more, which I hadn't thought possible, and then his sword was raised towards my captor as well.

"Let. Her. Go." He gritted out.

James sighed.

"Watch the temper, Damon. You could hurt her."

"He's already hurt her." The other man, Damon, pointed out, waving his sword towards me impatiently.

James' eyes flicked over to me and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

"I know." He muttered. "But he won't anymore. And he's just about to hand her over."  
"Who says?" My captor hissed out again. "I ain't givin' 'er up for no price."

"Of course you're not, I never expected you too, a sensible man like you." James returned to his demeanour before. Damon chuckled.

"I think we've got a good enough price for you." Damon agreed, still chuckling.

I felt the man behind me suddenly become stiff and alert with excitement.

"Really? Well let's see it then!" He cried eagerly.

"Good idea." James turned to Damon, his sword still pointing to me and my captor. "Damon?"

Damon stepped to one side obediently, leaving the door wide open to view. I bit back a whoop of triumph. All the men who had boarded the boat were tied up to the mast like some kind of scene from Peter Pan, struggling and yelling abuse as some other crew kept them where they were.

The man behind me froze. Everybody seemed to freeze. James smiled cruelly.

"Name your price."

The man behind me was still frozen, then suddenly he started bouncing on his heels, fear and anger building up inside of him. I could feel the tension.

"Release them and I give you the girl." He called out to James and Damon.

Damon grinned, the same smile James had.

"We were hoping you'd say that." He confessed, then turned to wave to one of the sailors who were watching the thieves. The sailor nodded and untied the nearest man. He nodded to the other sailors and they all started doing the same.

"The girl, if you please?" James asked politely.

"Not until they're all free." The man objected stubbornly.

Damon shrugged.

"As you wish." He turned around and waved to the sailor again. The sailor nodded.

All of a sudden, I heard a splash and jerked my head up. The sailors were grabbing the men and literally tossing them over board.

"What?" My captor bellowed.

Damon smiled again.

"We're setting them free." James explained with a grin.

"You didn't play by our rules." Damon shrugged when the man behind me stared at him in confusion. "It's your own fault, really. You've heard of us."

I saw my chance.

I suddenly reached up and jerked his sword hand away from me, using his momentary distraction and lapse in speech to help me. His sword dropped away from his hand and I swung around, my leg knocking his out from under him. He fell with a crunch, hitting his head against the back wall of the cabin that he'd been so near too. He was temporarily dazed and I scrambled away from him, grabbing the sword he'd dropped and straightening it up, pointing it at him. I hurried forward and pushed it up towards his neck. He stared up at me, confused.

I spat at his feet, tipping the sword. It moved his chin so he was staring directly at me.

"You made a mistake hurting me, _sweetheart_." I spat at him, digging the sword in further. "I never let anybody get away with that."  
He stared, bewildered, before a dazed and slightly cocky smile graced his ugly features.

"What are you gonna do then, sweet'eart?" He murmured. "Kill me?"

I tossed my head at him and gave him a disgusted look.

"Unfortunately, I don't do death." I jerked the sword up, cutting his chin and lower lip with the tip of it before crashing the hilt down onto his head. What with the crash on the head not two minutes earlier, he fell quickly unconscious. "I _do_ do unconsciousness, though."


	2. All Aboard!

_Chapter Two: All Aboard!_

There was a pause in time, whilst the two men absorbed what had just happened and I caught my breath back, trying to ignore the blood that was still running down my body.

I then turned to them, sword still raised, and looked at them. Damon lowered his sword. So did James, but I noticed James still kept his in his hands, as if ready if I tried to attack. I tensed my muscles. We all waited.

"Well?" I asked. "What now?"

James eyed me.

"Well, we were planning on taking you back to our ship, but you're the one holding the sword. It's your call."

I stiffened.

"What are you?"  
"Pirates." James shrugged off-handedly.

I stifled a gasp and tried to seem calm about the whole damn thing.

"Normal pirates don't give their captives the choice whether they want to be captured or not."

James and Damon looked at each other.

"No, I don't suppose they do." I noticed James' hand had tightened on the hilt. He was preparing for something. He slowly advanced on me. I held my ground and kept the sword raised high.

"Then again," James continued. "We weren't exactly giving you a choice, missy."

Our swords drew together and he pushed me back. I knew I wasn't going to win before the sword had even encountered mine. I didn't have as much energy, and the sight of my own blood was getting to me.

Still, I fought. Metal on metal. Up, down, spin, toss sword to other hand and try and lop his head off that way. With every movement James made, however, I was forced back another inch, until I was up against the wall, my former captor on the floor beside me. Only our drawing swords separated me and James now.

He grinned at me. His grip on his handle tightened. I saw what he was going to do in his eyes. I tried to force him back. He didn't move.

"Don't you dare knock me out." I gritted, and surprise flickered across his face.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He recovered smoothly.

"Uh huh." I didn't believe it for a second. "If you're going to capture me, I'd rather be conscious and fully alert for all of it."

James looked back at Damon, who shrugged. I tried to shove him back a step. Still he didn't move. I sighed, defeated. James looked back at me.

"You know, you are the easiest captive we have _ever _stolen from another ship." He told me, catching the rope Damon threw to him and spinning me around so he could tie my hands together. The sword dropped from my hands. I hit my head against the wall.

"I try my best." I muttered, wriggling my wrists against the coarse rope.

"I can see that." James swung me back around and pushed me in front of him.

With Damon heading up the rear, all three of us stepped out onto the bright deck. I squinted against the light. Men were still being thrown over board and it seemed a bigger sailing crew had taken over the ship. Which they had. Pirates. I shivered as the name crossed my mind again.

"Let's keep moving, you don't want to see these babies crying." Damon called up to me and James gently nudged me forward.

A sailor marched up to us and saluted Damon and James.

"Captain James, Captain Damon." He said with a quick grin.

James and Damon exchanged a look, then looked at the sailor.

"I'm pretty sure there can't be two captains." Damon growled.

The sailor grinned again.

"Three, sir. Mr Caspian is also a Captain."

James snorted, and once again I was forgotten by all males present.

"Please, that whelp couldn't captain anything." He muttered. "Who gave you the go-ahead to call us all captain?"

"Mr Jacob did sir."

"Of course he did." Damon rubbed his head wearily. "Well, you can't go against an order by Mr Jacob. Carry on, Sparky."

"It's Spargo, Captain." The sailor (_no, pirate_) corrected good naturedly.

"'Course it is. Sorry." Damon apologized distractedly as he glanced over at something at the other side of the ship. "Now, I'm going to go get the rest of the booty. James, get the girl over to the _Queen_."

"Gottcha." James nodded and, after a quick, keen glance at me, Damon wondered off. "Spargo, bring me some more rope."  
Spargo obediently nodded.

"Aye Aye, Captain." And off Spargo toddled.

"Some more rope?" I demanded as James steered me towards the edge of the ship. "What are you going to tie up now, my feet?"  
"No." But James glanced assessingly down on my legs.

I bumped my shoulder with him angrily.

"I wouldn't be able to walk if you did that!" I almost yelled. "Leave me alone! What do you want with me!"

"Right now, it'd be against the pirates code if I told ya." James told me, his eyes wondering leisurely up my body.

I bumped him again.

"Stop that!"

James caught my eye.

"Make me."

I opened my mouth to shout again but at that moment I spotted Spargo, and shut my mouth with an audible _click_.  
"Here's the rope, sir." Spargo handed a big, long rope to James.

"Thank you Spargo. Now go help the rest of the crew get the rest of the cargo on board. We need to get moving."

Spargo once again wondered off.

James lifted the rope and started wrapping it around my waist tightly, then around him, linking us very tightly together.

"Oh, what I'd do to you if my hands weren't bound." I hissed waspishly.

James sighed and tied the rope tighter before knotting it on his hip.

"Oh, what I'd give to have you gagged right now." He told me.

I indignantly shut my mouth.

Thats when he started to climb up onto the very slippy, very narrow edge of the ship, taking me with him because we were now tied together.

I tried to balance on the beam with my hands tied behind my back and glared at him.

"Now what? Are you going to dramatically commit suicide. Oh, I hope so, only, could you untie me first so I could watch from the side lines with a bag of popcorn?"

James sighed and slowly wondered further along the side of the ship. I followed reluctantly but with great care.

"I realize that you are frightened. I realize that you are scared. I realize that you have no idea what is going on and are therefore lashing out at me. I also realize that the rope is hurting your wrists and you cannot balance properly. But please, stop your incessent babbling so I _don't _accidentally kill the both of us."

I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again.

He reached up and called out to a man on the opposite ship that was almost in stepping distance of the one we were on. This one had black sails and the typical pirate flag. I shivered. It was slightly smaller, admittedly, but seemed still comfy and roomy. It was the pirate flag, and the pirate crew, that scared me mostly.

Something was flung towards James, another coarse rope that he wrapped around the both of us once again.

"Honestly, do you lot have any other materials apart from _rope_?" I muttered, but James didn't reply, tightening the rope securely before putting his arm around my waist.

"Are you scared of heights?" He then asked me, startlingly.

"Um, no."

"What about ships?"  
"Clearly not."  
"Pirates?"  
I frowned.

"I think I'll get back to you on that." I replied. "Why?"

He ignored me and grinned.

"You'll love this." He declared, before swinging us both off the side of the ship.

I resisted the urge to scream as the black, crashing water raced underneath us and gripped onto James for dear life, my fingers biting into his skin, possibly leaving bruises.

James seemed to navigate us around the ship so we didn't hit anything and tried to land.

We landed on the railings of the other ship, but whilst James got balanced first time around, I slipped on the wet wood and fell down, screaming as I fell towards the ocean that was becoming blacker by the second.

"And off we go again." I heard James mutter as he jumped after me and we swung back to the ship we'd just come from.

Eventually, after three tries, we managed to get onto the pirate ship.

"Not my fault I couldn't balance with no hands." I grumped as James untied all the rope from around me.

"No, I suppose not. But I had to make sure you wouldn't stab me." He explained as he loosened slightly the ropes on my hands.

"With what? You took away my sword!" I pointed out desperately.

He gave me a considering look.

"You sound like a resourceful girl. You'd have found something."

Trying not to preen at the compliment, I allowed him to gently push me along the deck.

Absent-mindedly, without thinking, I glanced across at the ship I'd just come from, the ship I'd first got on after appearing here from the twenty first century. Clearly, this whole thing wasn't in my mind, as I'd suspected when I'd first arrived, but it was surreal. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it.

That's when my eyes pin pointed something on the other deck and fixed on it, becoming frozen.

I stopped. James walked into me.

"Ouch." He muttered.

But I stayed frozen. Stayed looking. I just watched as they tried to clear it away. Tried to pretend it had never happened.

James stared at me, then across at the other boat. Cursed everybody and everything he could think of.

"It's not what it looks like." He eventually promised.

I had to open and close my mouth three times until words finally came out.

"It looks like the dead, murdered bodies of the people who looked after me and cared for me when I first got to this godforsaken place. Tell me how I'm wrong."

There was a pause whilst James carefully weighed up what he should say.

"We're pirates." He settled on, giving me a clear look and shrugging. "We did what we did to get what we wanted. They were in our way. As far as we were concerned, they deserved to die."

"You basterds."

I lept at him and started clawing at his face, at his stupid clothes, at his body, hitting out and trying to grasp for one of his many weapons but he was too quick for me and caught my wrists (which had wiggled free of the coarse rope at some point). He held me captive and just held me there until I tired myself out, crying, letting the tears I'd been suppressing since the _first _time we'd been boarded run down my cheeks.

"Right, guess I deserved that." James murmured, letting go of my wrists and stepping back to get a good look at me.

I slapped him.

He blinked, hard, then felt his cheek.

"Notsure I deserved _that _one."

I gritted my teeth against the anger that swelled up inside me once more.

And slapped him. Again.

James's face turned red with anger and the force of my slaps.

"Now I _know _I didn't deserve that one." He growled. He caught my hand as it raised to once again slap him hard and used it to reel me in so we were flush against each other. I struggled but he only held me tighter. I couldn't get away. He bent his head close, his lips almost grazing my ear, his breath fanning my hair.

"Now listen up, darlin'," He hissed in my ear. "I'm a pirate. You are my captive. Our relationship goes like this. I say something, you either agree with me or do it. No alternatives. Now, I've been nice to you up until now but do not forget _who I am_." His last three words were punctuated with a little shake. I tried to push down my fear. "You are mine. I own you now, darlin'. So play nice, and you won't get hurt. See?"  
I nodded, glancing around. But nobody was there to save me.

"Good." Very slowly, James pulled back. "This relationship is going to work if we continue like this."

I said nothing.

James gave me the once over, and I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. But there was nothing there when I checked harder. Only steely, bitter anger with a firm, flinty edge of resolve.

He turned away from me and hailed over another sailor, who cowered as he hurried towards us.

"Yes, Ca'pn?" He muttered, glancing at us fearfully.

"Take the girl to the quarters Caspian had assigned her too." James practically flung me into the sailors arms. He looked over my head at the sailor, seeming to ignore me completely. "And make sure she doesn't move from that spot. I will call for her when I need her."

"Yes Ca'pn." The sailor nodded hastily before gripping my elbow tightly and trying to lead me away from James. "This way miss..."

I jerked away from him and looked straight at James.

"What do you intend to do with me?" I was ashamed that my voice shook as I asked the question.

James barely spared me a glance, climbing back onto the side of the ship to swing back.

"It depends what I feel like doing. How you're useful." He shrugged and turned away from me. "If we feel we have no need of you, we'll dispose of you somehow."

I shivered as the sailor tried to take my elbow again, seeming shocked that I'd even go against his wishes. I wasn't surprised. From how I'd seen the women act and allow to be treated so far wasn't exactly encouraging. It was nothing like back home.

"What do you mean, dispose of me?" I instead called up as James caught the rope flung to him. "And who's we?"

"Defy, take the lady to her quarters. It seems she might be a bit tired." James replied instead. With that he swung away.

"Please come with me, Miss." Now that James was gone, the sailor seemed to take charge and firmly led me away, down the steps and into a lovely chamber, with the round windows and the glass doors. It could've been a hotel at the Ritz if the room hadn't been bobbing... And if there was a TV in it... Or some food.

The sailor pointed out the double bed and row of books for me to entertain myself with before bidding me a good evening and promptly vanishing through the doorway. He paused long enough to turn and give me a big grin.

"And welcome on board the _Captive Queen_, miss." He grinned before leaving quickly. Possibly to avoid having the shoe that I now held threateningly in my hand thrown at him.I heard the door swiftly lock behind him.

I sighed and picked up the long, floral skirt I'd been given when I'd first arrived. It was a bit old and out of style, possibly from the nineteen fifties, but it suited me down to the ground.

Now, however, it handicapped me as I tried to unlock the windows and doors that led to other parts of the ship. But no matter how hard I tried, they were all locked, and this time it wasn't the skirts fault.

When I discovered that they were all indeed firmly locked, I tried to read. But though, back home, I could enjoy any book with the greatest of ease, I now struggled to concentrate, my mind drifting home, then to the first ship I'd been aboard, the _Alabaster Pearl_. Finally, it drifted to Damon, James, and this new ship that I knew nothing about. I had no clothes, no food, no money, no friends. I was all alone on a pirate ship.

And I was frightened.

I watched for a long time the men load crates and barrels and trunks onto the ship across wooden plants and sometimes by rope. Most of them didn't see me peering out of the windows but those who did would give me a cruel, leering smile. I tried to be cool and calm about it, but the shivers that ran laps up and down my spine said otherwise.  
It was getting dark by the time all the crew from the _Captive Queen _left the _Alabaster Pearl _and started yelling to each other to start getting the sails up. I was dreading sailing away and leaving the _Pearl _just there, adrift in the waters, my last link to home gone before I was properly alone. However, I stared out anyway as the sun melted away behind me and the sky turned pinky before my very eyes.

Suddenly, I saw Damon. He wore a captains hat and looked very regal and controlling as he strolled around the deck, shouting orders every so often, his eyes fixed on the _Pearl _and the sky behind it. I absentmindedly wondered where James was.

'_Probably out terrorizing some other poor girl._'I thought bitterly. '_or killing some other crew_'.

I had noticed though that there seemed to be _no _other girls on board. Just me. Alone with a load of men. Who I didn't know. Who potentially wanted to kill me.

Great... Just great.

Suddenly, there he was. James. He strode over to Damon and they started talking rapidly. Damon shook his head, and I watched as James spoke slower, more calmly, persuasively. Eventually, Damon shrugged and nodded, looking like he really couldn't care less what happened.

James turned, and for a second I thought I saw him look straight at me, through the window. But then his eyes moved again and focused on the _Pearl_ once more.

He raised his hand and hollered to the rest of the crew. All the men straightened up and stared at him with awe and something close to adoration in their eyes. I gagged silently into the vase beside me. Surely these men saw James for what he really was? A cold blooded killer.

Then again, so were they.

I tried to hear what James was telling them to do, but as much as I strained my ears I couldn't hear a thing. Damn the stupid windows.

All the men cheered. It was loud enough that I could hear it through previously mentioned stupid windows. I widened my eyes as all the men turned towards the _Pearl_, shouting and jeering rather happily at it.

Suddenly, there was a rumble of cannons. One, two, three cannons were fired at the abandoned ship. I watched in horror as one man lit a match and flung it over the side at the _Pearl_, setting it slightly alight. Around him, the men started to do the same, even swinging on ropes and crossing the gang planks to set it fully on fire.

"No!" I screamed, beating the window with my fists. "_NO_! STOP IT PLEASE!"

A few people outside glanced at me, but most just ignored me as I screamed.

Eventually, the whole _Pearl _was going up in fire and smoke. Loads of it. I could barely see outside the window. The cheers and the laughter were almost deafening. They eventually brought back the wooden planks and ropes so we were no longer connected to the other ship.

"NO!" I shouted, hammering my fist even harder against the glass, half expecting it to smash.

The _Queen _slowly started to move away from the _Alabaster Pearl _and set sail off into the mist that had gathered around the two ships.

"NO! Please come back!" I whimpered, sinking down onto the floor and burying my head into my arms, knees tucked up so I looked like I was in a little ball.

I didn't start rocking. After all that had happened in the previous forty eight hours, I was impressed at my restraint.

When the first set of pirates had attacked the port in the Caribbean, my home, _Port Gemma Portum_, I thought that was the worse that could've happened. I had been asleep at the time, as it was the dead of night, curled up in my bed. My older sister, Julia, had been asleep beside me, having fallen asleep after we'd stayed up for hours talking about the merits of me one day marrying Simon or a rich sea captain, which was what my father had wanted me to do. There had been a lot of screaming when I'd woken up, jerking me from unconsciousness rudely. My maid had been screaming the house down.

"Pirates!" She'd cried, running up the stairs. "There are pirates, Mr Lapis!"

I'd peeked out the windows with Julia to see if she was telling the truth. The houses had been on fire, ablaze in the night air, reflecting on the sea water from where we were at the top of a hill. People ran in confusion and caos around and around the port, calling out for people, crying, screaming, hiding as the pirates laughed and reaped destruction on the lives of others.

Eventually, they'd come to the house. I had hardly expected them not to. Julia and I were ordered to climb out of the balcony in Julia's room and get down to the stables before escaping in a carriage. We'd tried to do just that, but in our night dresses we hadn't been fast enough. Julia had tripped over the iron bars, almost tumbling to her death. But she'd caught the branch of the twisting plants that twirled up the house. With my help and the help of the plants I'd managed to haul her up and back to safety. But by then it was too late. My father had not been able to keep them busy for long enough and survive. Later, I saw his body lying in a pool of his own blood in the hallway, through the window. It had been one to three, hardly fair. He hadn't survived. I doubted now that he had ever expected too.

The pirates had called out our names cruelly, mocking us as they searched each room of our house. We couldn't get down off the balcony quick enough before they got to us. They came up to our door. Found it locked. That's when Julia had turned to me and hugged me close.

"Keira." She'd whispered, brushing my my ringlets of hair out of the way of my face, staring across at me to meet me dead in the eyes. I bit my lip. "Go. Go now."

"With you." I didn't make it a question. I tried to sound firm. I failed.

Julia shook her head.

"No, sweetheart. On your own. Do what daddy told us to do. Get away from here as fast as you can."  
"Break the bloody door down!" One pirate yelled to the other outside the door.

My lips trembled. I trembled all over.

"What will you do?"

Julia had then drawn herself up to her full height and looked down on me with a small smile on her face.

"What mum always wanted me to do." She told me simply. "I will save you."

That's when the door broke down, and we were faced with four pirates out for our blood. Julia shoved me back as they leered at us. I stumbled towards the balcony.

"Where d'ya think your goin'?" One pirate hissed at me.

"She's escaping." Julia told them firmly.

"Oh yeah?" He'd snarled. "Who says?"

There was a pause which only the screams from the harbour pierced. Finally, Julia spoke as I clutched the iron bars with my hands.

"Me." Suddenly, Julia spun around, flinging something hard and dangerous at me as she did so. I let out a small scream, pushing myself back against the iron bars as I tried to catch the object. I failed, causing myself to fall over the bars and tumble towards the stone paving below.

But I'd been caught. I later presumed that Julia had always known this would happen. Somebody had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for me. They'd caught me. They'd smuggled me onto another boat, the _Alabaster Pearl_. They'd set sail with me and saved my life from the pirates. They'd saved my life, but not Julia's. Or my fathers. Or the servants. Nobody elses lives had been spared. I'd been the only one allowed to live. And all that went through my head was _why_.

I cried long into the night. Nobody came to me. I instead watched through puffy eyes as the shadows grew longer in the room, as the wind whistled even more fiercely, as the faint patter of light rain could be heard against the windows. My tears eventually became silent even if they didn't stop. I felt creaky and stiff but I didn't move. Eventually it was almost pitch black in the room, the only light coming from the moon through the window and the candle lights from the rest of the ship.

I think I was almost asleep when I heard the faint _click_ of a stiff lock and the door creak open. Somebody stood silhouetted in the door way. It wasn't Damon, he was too small and skinny for that. I knew it wasn't James by the way he didn't seem to swagger even as he stood. If it had of been I would've thrown something at him.

I slowly lifted my head up, the sounds of my neck cracking breaking the harsh silence in the room. I watched the shadowy figure as he entered and closed the door behind him. What little light he'd let in by opening the door was once again extinguished. Still, I stared at his outline.

I watched him stumble around the room, set something down in one of the over stuffed chairs, then turn to face me again.

"You know, you really should light a candle in here." A voice suggested lightly. Male, young, possibly in his late teens to early twenties.

I didn't say anything, but instead switched my gaze from his outline to the wall straight ahead of me.

I heard him sigh heavily.

"Fine, I'll do it."

I still stared straight ahead.

I heard some rummaging around, some draws opening and closing, some banging and cursing. Then there was a scratch as the match was struck against something, and a hiss as it lit up. It illuminated the room in a dim, eerie orange glow, bathing the objects in almost a shy way. The shadows were long and drawn out.

I heard the boy/man person shuffle around as he continued to light the candles in turn until the room was once again reasonably well lit.

"There. Isn't that better?" He asked brightly.

I shrugged, and the movement alerted me to a dull ache in my shoulders.

The man sighed again and he moved to sit in a chair by the polished table to my right. I didn't even glance at him.

"You know, in polite society, the thing to do if somebody asks you a question, is to answer them, or so I'm told." I felt rather then heard him move so he was leaning on his elbows over his legs, his legs set wide apart. His voice was gently nudging instead of lecturing or mocking. "I've been sadly lacking in polite society for quite a long time." He seemed to wait for me to reply. When I didn't, he sighed again. "Tell you what, we'll start again. Hello, my names Captain Caspian Northridge, I am the third captain on this pirate ship and younger brother to Captain Damon Northridge. Now, your turn. Who are _you_?"

I took a deep breath, realizing I couldn't ignore him any longer.

"Hello, _Captain _Caspian." My voice cracked as I spoke, dripping in sarcasm and bathed in acid. I mocked his title. I mocked everything he stood for. "My name is Keira Lapis."

The man, Caspian, waited for a few moments, like he expected me to say more. I turned my head, my neck cracking horribly. But I just faced him.

"Ok, what about another question?" Caspian then asked, a tad desperately.

I shrugged.

"What's it like back where you come from?"

I opened my mouth to answer, and my voice was low and croaky.

"Does it matter anymore? I'm not there."

There was a pause.

"Ok, moving on. What about your family?"

"They're dead."

"Oh." There was yet another pause as Caspian shifted uncomfortably. "I'm so sorry."

He reached forward to grasp my clenched fist in his hand, but I snatched it back.

"No. You're not."

He frowned and reached forward again. This time I shuffled out of his reach, curling myself into a tighter ball by the wall.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

I sniffled and turned my head away from him, leaning into my knees.

"Because you're a pirate."

Caspian let out a very sudden laugh, half startled, half despairingly.

"And because I'm a pirate I can't feel sorry that a young girl like yourself has lost her family and home?"

I bit back my urge to sob.

"Yes." I turned my head back to him, trying to rile my anger to get rid of my sadness. "And don't you dare talk to me in that patronising way! You are no older than me!"

His eyes sparkled in the candle light dangerously, reminding me of how Damon had looked when faced with another pirate. I supposed that would be expected, considering what Caspian had said about them being brothers and all.

"Maybe in years, perhaps." He shrugged. "But I have had to fight for my survival for a very long time, with every thought I had, every breath I took, with every ounce of strength I possessed. It is only very recently I have taken to pirating, but have found that not all of it has agreed with me."  
"Seems to have agreed with your brother." I spat out bitterly. "And James. Why should you be any different? What _makes _you different?"

"Well, it is rather odd that Damon and James should take to it so finely whilst I did not, considering we have been through almost the exact same things." He admitted thoughtfully. "James even worse then the rest of us, now that I think about it. I don't know why it is that I do not care for this life. Perhaps I can see all the reasons why _not _to like it."

"Well, I wouldn't put yourself too high up the moral scale, _Captain _Caspian." I flung at him. "You may talk kindly and speak posh but you are no better than your brother and James. I didn't notice _you _kicking up a fuss when they stole from another ship, or when the murdered that same ships _entire _crew, or when they took me hostage, or when they set the ship on fire and sailed away. Where were you when _that _was happening, hey?"

Caspian shifted restlessly on his seat and stood up. He paced from one side of the bedroom to the other six times before coming back to rest in the seat he had just left.

"You're right. I didn't say or do anything to stop that. Perhaps I have grown too used to this life. Or maybe I knew I could do nothing to stop it." His eyes met mine in the dim light.

There was a silence that seemed never to end, never to be broken. I watched him, and saw no sign of remorse or sadness in his eyes. Feeling my rage bubble, I very slowly, very precisely uncoiled myself from my little corner and straightened up, almost towering over him.

"_I _knew I could do nothing to stop them. I _knew _it. But I tried to stop them anyway." I stared him down. "I had to try and stop them for my conscience to be clear. So I could sleep at night. You did nothing. So tell me, _captain_," I put my face right in his, trying to frighten him, trying to make him go away, trying to make him stop mocking me and leave. "How do _you_ sleep at night?"

He stared at me long and hard, as if in thought, before finally standing up once more, towering over me as I had just towered over him.

"You have every right to be upset." He stated calmly, too calmly. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't blame everything thats gone wrong since you got here on me. I've done nothing wrong."

I gaped at him as he stared at me, backing away, not out of fear, but out of superiority and a desire to end the conversation.

"Done nothing..." I murmured.

Then I was suddenly at his throat, a very real wish to strangle him my top most thought, clawing at him, beating at him, just as I had done James. Just as I had intended to do to his brother.

He didn't react like James. He didn't catch my wrists in an attempt to make me stop and think rationally. He stood there and took my beatings without a movement to stop me or a whimper of pain. No matter what I did he did nothing to counter act it.

Eventually, I felt myself wearing tired. I couldn't allow myself to give up out of exhaustion though. I beat my hands down his chest, scraping my nails, ripping his clothes and trying to make him bleed, my anger and frustration and sadness all too far gone for me to think logically now.

Finally, I reached his trouser waist band. I felt him wince, as if he expected me to do something extremely painful. But my mind was on other things, and with a quick, twist of my hand and a kick of my knee he was on his knees before me and I had his sword pointed at his neck.

He looked up, down and around in amazement before his eyes finally came to rest on me, an unnatural, excited glow almost buzzing in them.

"Good god. Your brilliant." He declared, a manic grin spreading across his entire face. "Absolutely fantastic! I didn't even see it coming! Where did you learn to do that?"

I tried not to get side tracked, keeping the sword very firmly and very steadily raised and pressed against his neck.

"How could you say you've done nothing wrong?" I asked quietly. "You let hundreds of innocent people die. You just stood by and watched it. Maybe even helped a little bit in it. And you say you've done nothing _wrong_?"

Caspian looked confused for a second, before his brow cleared and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to say. But I didn't kill anybody." He added when I looked unsure. "That, Miss Lapis, is something I'd never do." His eyes suddenly glowed brightly for a minute, almost neon blue, before returning to their normal shade. "Or is it _Mrs _Lapis? Are you married yet?"

The sword dropped to the ground as I tried to digest my disgust, effectively distracting the hysterical, confused, scared me onto another subject. Score one for Caspian.

"No way! I'm only seventeen!" I wrinkled my nose in utter horror.

Caspian shrugged as he shoved himself off his knees.

"Seventeen is a marriageable age for a young girl like yourself."

"Oh, really?" I tilted my head to one side and placed my hand on my hip, surveying him critically. "If that's true, why aren't you married? You're not much older than me."

Caspian grinned.

"It works differently for men. I can marry at any age I wish to."

"Ugh!" I tossed my head. "That is _so _sexist!"

"Well, you should really start thinking about marriage, Miss Lapis, since you are on a boat _full _of men, most of whom are single and think _you _are very attractive."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"They're clearly looking at a mirage." I muttered. "No way am _I _attractive."

Caspian nodded, happily agreeing.

"That's what I thought. They've been deprived of women for too long. And you emphasis your words _loads_." He drew out the last word into two syllables.

I sniffed and kicked the sword out of my way stalking my way towards the door that Caspian had opened on his way in here. I wasn't foolish enough to start running out of it like a mad women. For one, where would I go? All the other rather horrible pirates were out there, and they might kill me. Might as well stay here and be comfortable and safe.

I wrenched the door open and gestured through it.

"It's so lovely that you dropped by, Captain. Try not to let the door hit you on your way out." I gestured even more violently through the door when he didn't move. "Go on, out you go before I'm forced to use that sword on you one more time."

Caspian bent and retrieved his sword from the floor, approaching me hesitantly.

"You know, you are not very lady like." He told me as he passed. "Rather rude, actually."

I made a face at him.

"Screw you."

His face registered shock (I was partly shocked myself), before he shook himself and pointed vaguely in the direction of one of the over stuffed chairs.

"I brought those dresses in for you." He told me, ignoring my comment. I flushed. I couldn't believe I'd just said that! He continued. "Damon and James request you dine with us tonight in one of those dresses."

I glanced towards the over stuffed chair, saw one of the dresses ugly colour and turned back to him.

"And if I refuse? I don't particularly like dining with pirates in ugly, hard to wear dresses. Especially James."

Caspian shrugged once more.

"Then you will have to dine with the crew. Dead." As I gaped at him, Caspian rethought this. "Or naked. It depends what we three captains choose."

I stared at him, mouth wide open, aghast.  
"_What_?"

Caspian gave me a smooth smile.

"Your choice. Dinner is at eight thirty sharp. Somebody will come get you when it's time."  
And with that he slipped away.

I cursed and chucked my shoe at the door, which was now once again locked.

"Stupid men!"


	3. Dinning With The Devil

One of the dresses was, as I had spotted, hideously ugly in a mustard yellow with a lot of ruffles and crimps and _ugh_-ness. I tried tossing it out one of the windows in the cabin, before remembering they were all locked and deciding that I'd toss it over board at the first chance I got.

There were six dresses all in all for me to have a look at. At the forth one I was almost in tears, and did go a bit mad, ripping the material, stamping on it and kicking it around the room like it was some kind of football.

"Stupid dresses." I muttered when I'd lobbed previously mentioned dress (Which, admittedly, wasn't as bad as the mustard yellow one) over to the other side of the cabin, through the doors that separated my bedroom and my 'living room'.

I glared at it.

"Why can't I just wear what the men are wearing?" I then wailed.

There was a thump outside the main oak door of my cabin. Hesitantly, I peered out of the window beside it, only to see all the crew members laughing.

"She's going to be ours, lads!" One called above the rest. "Doesn't look like she's gonna be wearin' the dresses a'all!"

I gritted my teeth and banged my hands against the glass before drawing the hangings of material over the window (I couldn't call them curtains. I wasn't sure _what _they were.).

"Stupid pirates." I hissed as I stalked towards the remaining two dresses that patiently waited for my inspection. "Stupid dresses." I viciously kicked one of the dresses I'd already seen. "Stupid James. Stupid Caspian. Stupid-" I cut off as my eyes beheld the last one. Red satin for the bodice and a small red velvet skirt that swept to my ankles. Diamonds and pearls decorated the bodice, and it was accompanied by a simple silver necklace. The bottom of the skirt was hemmed by a little white lace, but I didn't mind as I beheld the perfect, white satin slippers which went perfectly with the dress. They were white satin slip on shoes with a red lining and red roses just on the toes. My eyes widened as I looked at the whole thing. It was perfect. It was brilliant. It was...

"Stupid pirates that found a dress that I actually like." I finally muttered before going to change.

By the time I was finally dressed to my satisfaction, a stern knock had sounded on the door. I didn't answer immediately, staring in wonder at myself in the full length mirror, twirling the velvet skirt from side to side. My ringlets of dark hair fell around my shoulders, I was pale from lack of food and sleep, my eyes were wide, blue and luminous. The corset was tight, pushing up my boobs and clenching in my stomach, making me look like I had more of a waist then I actually did.

The knocking became more insistent when I didn't reply.

"Miss Lapis, if you don't answer the door we'll 'ave to come in there and getcha ourselves, even if you ain't decent!" A voice called through the wall.

I sighed and tried to glide my way to the door, only succeeding in tripping up over my skirts even more then I had with just simple walking.

"Oh, go die in a hole." I rolled my eyes as I wrenched the door open, realizing suddenly how easily it had become open. I glanced at the door, then at the two sailors in front of me. "How long has that been unlocked?" I then demanded.

One of the sailors shrugged.

"Almost two hours, Miss Lapis."

I resisted the urge to throttle him, or bang my head against the door itself.

"Oooof _course _it has." I muttered. They gave me an odd look. I tried to remember I was the one who was the captive here and therefore try and be more subdued.

"Is dinner ready now?" I asked in a quieter, shyer voice. I recognised the two of them, one being the one from the _Alabaster Pearl _and the other being the one who first took me to my cabin in the first place. I resisted the urge to scowl at both men and promptly shut the door in their faces, instead giving them a slight, stiff nod. One of them, the one from the _Alabaster Pearl_, offered me his arm.

I graciously took it with another stiff nod. All in all, I thought I was being fairly nice to these men considering they were _pirates_.

"Thanks..."

"Spargo, miss." Spargo gave me a wide grin, exposing large black teeth. I resisted recoiling in disgust, keeping my hand determinedly on his elbow.

"Spargo, right." I turned my head away from both of them as they led me from the cabin I'd been hauled up in for almost six straight hours, with nothing to eat nor drink.

The night sky was dark, speckled with bright stars that lit the slippy deck. From each side of the boat there was candle light streaming, helping me as I picked across the wood, procrastinating yet determined to get there as fast as I could.

We opened the huge, chestnut door and I was greeted to a sight of a large chestnut oak table, laden with all sorts of delicious treats and great food. Spargo and the other sailor (Was his name Defly? Defy?) quickly removed themselves from my bruising fingers that now clutched at them and withdrew from the room rather rapidly. Once again I heard the door lock with a very determined _click_. I sighed and turned around to tug on the door knob. Nope. Definitely locked. Perfect. Just brilliant. Once again locked in a room which I didn't particularly want to be in. Then again, whilst there was food there...

As my thought passed through my brain, I scrambled to get towards the table, reaching for the first thing I could reach with mouth watering intensity. It was about to be inelegantly stuffed into my mouth when I felt the point of a sword touch the nape of my neck where my curling hair had exposed. I froze, dropping my food. The sword was pressed very gently against my neck, not drawing blood, just enough to let me know it was there. It brushed against my hair, and something tugged on my dress, forcing me to turn around. The sword was dropped lower as I did so, instead poking into my stomach. I winced, then looked up at the person who _now_ intended to kill or threaten me with a sword. I cocked an eyebrow.  
"Should've know it be _you_." I muttered.

He grinned at me, a smug grin.

"Why should you?"

"Because you haven't threatened or kidnapped me in almost six hours. You must've been getting quite bored."  
James released my dress and sheathed his sword back by his hip.

"You know, you've only been here, as you said, six hours. My life doesn't revolve around you." He pointed out.

My cheeks burned.

"I know that." I retorted crossly, trying to sweep away from him but only succeeding in walking from one side of the room to the other, making me look utterly foolish when I arrived at the wall and had no where else to go. I hastily crossed my arms over my chest and lent against said wall. James watched me with amusement.

"Well?" I then demanded. "I thought Damon and Caspian were joining us. If there not, I'm going. I'd rather starve then eat with just you."

James quirked his eyebrow at me.

"Careful, my dear miss Lapis. If you continue acting like you are I may be forced to show you just how much I command this ship." At his dark words, I shivered. Then he shrugged. "And thankfully, it won't come to either you starving yourself nor me showing you 'who's boss'." He grinned.

I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at him.

"And whys that, my dear James Shandy?" I asked, my voice low and unyielding.

He paused, then wagged his finger at me.

"There should be a _captain _in there somewhere." He told me.

I waited for my answer grimly, firmly. He sighed.

"Because my brothers will be joining us momentarily." He assured me sarcastically.

I blinked at him hard from across the room.

"_Brothers_? No! No need for any of _your _brothers here. Just Caspian and Damon, thanks."

Good god, I couldn't imagine anything more horrible than carbon copies of James.

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Don't be stupid, woman! I meant the whelp and Damon!"

I pushed myself back off the wall and squared up to him.

"Hey, who you calling woman?"

"You, woman!"

"Well, listen here buddy-"

"Glad to see you two are getting along so well."

James and I jumped, startled, and I'm ashamed to admit I did scream a bit. We had been arguing so loudly and so frequently that we hadn't heard the door unlock or Caspian and Damon arrive.

Damon was lent against the now once again closed door, whilst Caspian had walked fully into the room and was settling himself into his seat as he spoke.

I gaped at them both.

"It's hardly my fault she is as ignorant and arrogant as most of the ladies on land!" James fumed to him, stalking away from him to settle himself down in the head chair. "I thought she was suppose to be different!"

Damon took a seat next to him a reached for the leg of the meat laid out on the table.

"She's arguing with you, isn't she?" He pointed out practically. "The girl must 'ave some guts before she does summit like tha'."

I glared at all three of them.

Damon and James ignored me, both of them scoffing their way through the food as fast as they could.

Caspian got up once more with a sigh when he recognised Damon and James weren't going to move. He pulled out a chair for me and gestured for me to sit. Startled, I stayed mute as I sat in the chair he offered and his tucked me in.

"Thank you." I murmured, rather docilely.

Caspian gave me a small smile as he took the seat beside me.

"It was hardly a big thing, Miss Lapis."

"It was for me. Nobody at home does that anymore. I think it's rather decent of you to do such a thing for me when I've been so dreadfully horrid to you." I didn't know where my words came from, they just seemed to flow and blurt, and I had to resist the tears welling up in my eyes.

"I wouldn't say that, miss." Caspian flushed as both his brother and James' eyes rested curiously on the both of us as they ate.

"I would. And call me Keira. I'm not used to all this formal malarkey." I gave him a smile, which he returned, before tentatively reaching for some food.

"Aren't you?" Damon gave me an interested look as he placed down the bone which the meat had lain not ten seconds before. I took a moment to admire how fast men, and especially pirates, could eat. James was reaching for his third piece of meat. "I had thought you came from a wealthy family."

I shrugged.

"I come from a modest family. It is very informal there and we have few servents."

"'adn't realized tha'." Damon reverted to his accent from before. I got the feeling he put on the rough accent to fit in with more of the pirates from around.

We ate in silence for a bit, before James gestured at me, suddenly agitated and sarcastic.

"Please, don't be polite for us, Keira. Tuck in." He waved his goblet towards my plate, where I had very little food on it despite being half starved. I used my knife and fork, just as Caspian did beside me. "You remind me of the whelp."

I bristled at his tone.

"I don't recall inviting you to use my given name." I reminded him frostily, thinking just how much I'd like to take that sword of his and cut his throat with it. "And manners are the crutch of society. Without it, we'd all fall."

"_Without it, we'd all fall_'." James mimicked cruelly in a squeaky voice.

Caspian put down his cutlery.

"Miss Lapis is our guest here. I would suggest you treat her as such, James." Caspian's tone was even and reasonable, the voice of sanity in all this mayhem.

James sneered at him, tossing back another whole goblet of ale.

"She is _not _our guest. She is our captive."

I tried to remember when he'd been nice to me when I'd first gotten away from my first captor. He'd been so different. Now he showed his true colours.

"She has what we need, James." Damon reminded him, before turning to survey me with hooded lids. "She will not give it to us if we are not polite."

"She need not give it. I will take it!" James declared, but now he was slurring his words. Guessing I'd need to vacate the room soon if I wanted to survive, I snatched up as much food from my plate as I could.

"You are acting like a drunken fool." Damon told him calmly. "Jacobs would be ashamed if he saw you like this. Treating a woman as such!"

"He _is _a drunken fool, brother." Caspian said wearily, leaning back into his chair and rubbing his temples like he had a headache. "We should never of taken him on board."  
"He is the best we've got and our brother in all but blood. He is usually good. He's just got...over excited. Besides, we need him."

James jumped to his feet and glared down at all three of us.

"I am not a puppy you can kick aside. I am not such an immature whelp of a man I cannot handle being a feared pirate of the seven seas, capturing a pretty lady and drinking a hell of a lot on a night with my brothers and said pretty lady."  
I blushed and finished my food, politely putting together my knife and fork.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this heart warming brother bonding," I started, folding my hands into my lap and trying to act demure. How many times had I tried to do just that and failed over the last twelve hours? "But what exactly is it that you need from me?"

All three men froze, seeming to have forgotten me in all the fuss. Their heads turned slightly to stare at me.

"I thought lasses were suppose to me seen and not heard." James slurred, barely catching himself on the table as he swooned forward.

I gave him a polite smile, as I would to an annoying suitor or servant.

"No, that's children, Mr Ollitover."

James wrinkled his nose at me.

"Huh." He turned to reach for the bottle this time, completely bi-passing his goblet in the process.

"Drinking is only polite whilst being out at dinner, I understand." I put in, wanting to dig at him for not giving me the response I wanted despite his highly intoxicated state. "But being drunk is really quite disgusting in a male."

Damon was gently trying to detach James from the bottle his grasped in his hand. He cast me a warning look as he did so, warning me to stay away.

Suddenly, James dropped the bottle. Caspian and Damon both dived for it, Caspian grabbing it just before it smashed on the floor.

James swung around and looked me straight in the eye with a strangely lucid look. I clutched the arms of my chair until my knuckles went white but did not move an inch apart from that.  
"Why are you so good at sword play when you are just a merchants daughter?" He surprised me by asking.

I stared at him in utter shock. Damon and Caspian turned to me, puzzled frowns creasing their foreheads.

"Yeah, that's a good question. Why are you so good?" Caspian looked at me in confusion.

I looked down at my lap, at my hands folded within it.

"Well, I'm not _that _good..." I stuttered unwillingly.

James waved his hands about airily.

"Don't be modest, me darlin'. You're fantastic. With a bit of professional guidance, you'd be sensational."  
I glared at him as if he'd insulted me once again.

"Thank _you_." I barely bit off before rising up from my chair. "I think it's time I turned in. Good night, gentlemen. I will see you on the morrow."  
_On the morrow_? I questioned myself as I turned away. _When have I ever said _that _before?_

"Excuse me, Miss Lapis." Damon called after me, one of his hands curled around James' upper arm to keep him up right, the other braced against the table. He gave me a level look as I turned back to them. "But you never answered the question."

I sighed and bit my lip, my eyes flitting from one face to the other.

"Alright, alright. My family are too dead anyway to be ashamed." As I said the words, my eyes welled up with tears of hard won emotion, and I had to turn my head away from the burning wick of the candle so they wouldn't see it. Caspian reached forward as if to comfort me, but his hand dropped limply to his side eventually. I understood why.

"Why would they be ashamed, Keira?" Caspian's voice was kind and soft. I hated him for a moment. Why couldn't he be like his brothers, like other pirates? Swash buckling pioneers who sailed the seven seas ravishing women, stealing precious cargo, killing people. Why did he have to be so kind and gentle? Why did he have to be just what I needed just then but just what I couldn't have? I cursed his name. I cursed James' name. I cursed Damon's name, the crews name, the ships names, the entire god-damn earth's name, for the love of god.

I reached up a delicately dragged one finger underneath my eyelid to catch my tears before they were obvious, just Julia had taught me too. But she was gone too, now.

"I'm a girl. A respectable girl. A merchants daughter. I shouldn't have learnt the art of sword play. I shouldn't have been mixing with the men who taught it too me."

There was a pause whilst Damon and Caspian exchanged a glance, gouging what they wished to know as James tugged on Damon's hold on his arm like Damon was some kind of pesky fly, frowning down on it like he couldn't understand how it'd gotten there.

"So these men who taught you, volunteered?" Damon asked as James wrenched himself free of his hand, sauntering over to Caspian to snatch the bottle off him and plug it to his mouth.

I shrugged and tried to ignore the tears that now wouldn't stop flowing.

"Actually, I forced them. The boy had seen me playing with my fathers swords in our gardens when I was eight. He told me I had some talent. He said that his ancestors were pirates and his family were very knowledgeable in sword play because of it. I was interested. I wanted to better myself at the craft, learn what my cousins had learnt. The family were very poor, as they were simple dock workers. When I was ten I offered to give them three pounds a lesson to teach me everything they knew. The father refused. Next day I came back with a gun and pointed it at his head. He laughed. He said anybody with enough 'spunk' to come back and face a descendant of a pirate when he'd already refused deserved to learn the craft. But my father wasn't to know he was teaching me. I agreed. When we were fifteen and moved to the Caribbean, I was already pretty good. The son came with my father as his clerk, to get his family out of the poverty of the docks. He continued my training whilst we were there."

Damon and Caspian stared at me. James moaned, obviously bored with the conversation he'd started, and collapsed on a chair, which promptly broke into splinters around him. James moaned again but didn't bother to move.

"He taught you well." Caspian smiled encouragingly at me.

I turned away from him.

"Not well enough. I still got captured by pirates. Still got captured by another set of pirates. My family still got slaughtered. I don't know if he's alive or dead, now."

I hadn't considered that. I hadn't considered that he hadn't survived at all. I welled up but didn't allow them to see.

"What was his name?" Caspian pressed.

I wiped my tears away and turned back to him.

"Simon. His name _is _Simon Chambers."

Damon looked at me before reaching forward to haul James to his feet.

"James right, with the proper training you could be fantastic."

I gave them a bland look.

"I'm a woman. I'm your captive. Why would you want to train me?" I asked, my voice flat and emotionless.

Damon grinned and winked at me.

"Who said anything about training you, me darlin'?" He smiled cheekily.

I gave him a sour look.

"Oh, ha ha. Brilliant. Absolutely perfect. You get the vulnerable young girl to spill her guts about all her heart felt sorrows then tease her about it? You charmer, you." I turned away once again and started for the door.

"Why are you fighting us?" Caspian called after me desperately. "We've done nothing to harm you! We've fed you. We've even given you clothes! We've been perfectly civil to you. Why would you fight us?"  
I glanced over my shoulder at them. Turned slowly on my heel. Anger over everything that had happened bubbled and boiled up inside me, wanted to explode, wanting to rip at his face with my nails and horrible maul them all with an especially sharp sword. Instead, I spoke.

"Because you are _not _my family. It is your kind who killed my father and sister, therefore it _will _be your kind who will pay. You want me to act nice, civil? Be a proper lady? Go ahead. Be my guest. Try and make me into the perfect little captive who can't fend for herself and is scared to the point of throwing herself over board. But just know that I will fight you all the way, kicking and screaming with a sword in my hand and a bottle of poison in the other. You three may sound proper, act like gentlemen but you're _not_. You're cold blooded killers. I know you are. So _thats _why I fight you, Captain Caspian. Because if it wasn't for the sea we are surrounded by I wouldn't dare to even breathe the same air as you."

I took a deep, emotional breath when I finished my rant, images of Julia, dad, even mum flashing through my mind like pictures in a catalogue. I couldn't loose my nerve now. They'd probably kill me anyway. I had a strange feeling that it was only my courage keeping me alive now.

Caspian stared at me, his wide green eyes round with shock, his hands outstretched as if to snatch at something but they didn't move. Damon's darker eyes were hooded and tight, lines creasing around them, on his forehead and around his mouth, which was firmly pressed in a thin line. James had his arm flung around Damon's shoulders, barely keeping up right, barely conscience. James didn't look at me for a while. Nobody said anything as I breathed heavily as if I had just run a marathon.

Suddenly, James head snapped up so fast I thought his neck would break. His eyes focused on me, so bright with intelligence and understanding yet almost smothered with a different feeling. He opened his mouth to speak. I waited anxiously to hear his response. What my punishment might be. James took a deep breath.

"Well, at least the girls got spunk." And promptly burped.

My mouth fell open in shock. Caspian and Damon looked at their 'brother' with something close to disbelief, awe and disgust, all wrapped up into one rather startling facial expression.

I quickly recovered my wits as James collapsed once again against his brother before growling at him, whirling around my my skirts billowing out behind me as I stalked from the room.

"Never again will I ever speak to any of you again!" I called behind me.

"Oh, promises, promises!" James shouted after me.


End file.
